Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119, Applicants claim the benefit of the filing date of Japanese Application No. 4-246292, which was filed on Sep. 16, 1992. This Japanese Application and its translation are wholly incorporated by reference herein.
This invention pertains to personal computers and, more particularly, to a security mechanism for a removable device, such as a cartridge type disk drive, wherein the security mechanism inhibits the unauthorized removal of the device from the computer.
Removable cartridge type hard disk drives (HDD's) and other removable devices are well known and, generally, they are easy to install and remove from a computer. Unfortunately, the cartridge (the term "cartridge" is used throughout this application to refer to any removable type device, such as a removable hard disk drive) can easily be removed by an unauthorized user, such as in the case of a simple theft; or the cartridge can also be easily removed, the confidential information stored in the cartridge copied, and the cartridge returned to computer without the owner's knowledge.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a computer security mechanism that inhibits the unauthorized removal of an otherwise removable type device. It is also an object of the invention to provide a means for securing the computer, via a cable, chain or the like, to a stationary fixture, such as a wall. It is a further object of the invention to inhibit the unauthorized removal of the device from the computer when the computer is attached to the stationary fixture, while permitting the easy removal of the device when the computer is not secured to the stationary fixture.